Vrindavan, 2018.01.06 (VT) Sants and Local leaders stand united in the fight against the mistreatment of cows, the governmentalization of temples and the rampant disregard of local’s views and interests by Government departments. At a meeting on Friday at Dharam Raksha Sangh’s Krishna Kuti, local leaders and temple Goswamis formed an agreement to work together to oppose government policies that are against the principles of Hinduism.

Radha Raman temple’s Shrivatsa Goswami said that government agencies like the Braj Tirtha Vikas Parishad are not considering the interests and desires of Brijwasis when making policies. The Goswami said that disregarding the interests of locals threatens the very existence of Vrindavan. Goswamiji said that locals are not informed about Government policies, so, no one knows if the schemes are being implemented properly.

Baba Madan Bihari Das of Tatia Sthan rose his voice against the governmentalization of temples. Babaji said that it is clear that the government’s attempts to change the darshan timings of Banke Bihari is part of the plan to governmentalize temple management, which will see the Goswamis lose control over their own temples.  Dauji temple’s RK Pandey said that the governmentalization of temples is part of the government’s attempt to capture the donations made at temples.

At another meeting in Bhagawat Niwas, Raman Reti, yesterday, leaders spoke about the government’s backwardness in protecting cows and the Yamuna.

Mahant Shukdevdas Maharaj said that the lack of protection of cattle in Braj is an insult to Hinduism and threatens the principles that drive ‘Gopalan culture’. Union Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma‘s brother, Dr Naresh Sharma, said that religion should unite people and we must stand united to fight for cow protection.

Acharya Badrish, president of Sanatan Sanskar Seva Sansthan, talked about the need to remove the pollution from the Yamuna and the need to release more clean water into the river.

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I praise Bṛhadvana (Gokula), where the Lord of Vraja, Nanda Maharaj, jubilantly donated two lakhs of young cows decorated with gold and strings of pearls, as well as heaps of divine ornaments and a mountain of sesame to the brahmins while celebrating Sri Krishna’s birth.

Stavāmṛta Kaṇā Vyākhyā : In this verse Raghunath Das Goswami praises Sri Bṛhad-vana, the place of Sri Krishna’s advent. It is here that Sri Nanda, the king of Vraja, desiring the welfare of his son, gave ample charity to the brahmins on the occasion of Krishna’s birthday festival.

In Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (Bhāg. 10.5.3) it is written:

In Sri Brahma Vaivarta Purāṇa it is seen that:

Goparāja Sri Nanda was so happy when Krishna was born that he gave various gems, corals, diamonds and other riches, as well as seven piles of sesame, a mountain of paddy, gold, silver, garments and thousands upon thousands of cows to the brahmins.”

In the Bhaviṣya Purāṇa we can see how much a pile of sesame is supposed to be:

“The greatest pile of sesame consists of ten droṇas , a pile of five droṇas is mediocre and a pile of three droṇas is the minimum. Just as there must be Viṣkambha-mountains placed in all four corners around a mountain of paddy, so it is also prescribed for the mountain of sesame.”

All these piles of sesame and paddy must be beautified with jewels, gold and flower garlands. The arrangements for this are also outlined by the Bhaviṣya Purāṇa:

daśabhir droṇaiḥ kṛta tila saptācalīmad adāt.
yad vṛti maṇi kanakānāṁ tad adhikatara bhāratā dvijer mene

“Nanda Maharaj donated seven piles of sesame, each containing ten droṇas, to the brahmins. The brahmins thought that the jewels and gold that covered these mountains of sesame were even heavier than the sesame itself.”

From this information we can slightly conceive of the unlimited amount of jewels and gems Goparāja Nanda gave in charity. Vrajadhāma is the transcendental playground of the Original Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna, therefore it is not at all impossible for Maharaj Sri Nanda to donate such amounts of jewels and gems. Raghunath Das Goswami thus praises Bṛhadvana, the place where Sri Nanda Maharaj donated such a huge amount of wealth.

800080;”>Commentary of Sri Radha Kund Mahant, Pandit Sri Ananta Das Babaji Maharaj is named Stavāmṛta Kaṇā Vyākhyā (a drop of the nectar of Stavāvalī), and was published in Gaurābda 503 (1989 A.D.) from Sri Krishna Chaitanya Shastra Mandir, Vrajananda Ghera, PO Radhakunda (district Mathura), U.P., India.

Devotional songs in Bengali that follow each commentary were composed by Dr. Haripada Sheel.

© Translated by Advaita dāsa in 1994

More of Ananta Das Pandit’s writings in English translation can be found at Tarun Govinda’s blog, Amrita Tarangini.

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Mathura, 2018.01.08 (TOI) Following an order from Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court, the UP government on Sunday issued a circular to all district administrations and the police department of the state to remove all unauthorised public address systems installed at religious places. The same would be applicable to loudspeakers used at public places, marriage processions and protest parades of similar kind.

According to the order copy, the local administration of 75 districts will identify religious structures/places, public areas in their respective districts where unauthorised loudspeakers are being used, and serve notice to owner/manager/trustee of such places. If they fail to obtain permission for the usage of loudspeakers under the permissible limit then police and local administration have to ensure that loudspeakers are removed by January 20, 2018.

The order further reads that action will be taken against officials if they fail to act against such persons who continue to flout the noise pollution norms.

Arvind Kumar, principal secretary, home, said, “The loudspeakers installed at public places cannot have sound level more than 10 dB (decibel) above the periphery of a public place and 5 dB above at the periphery of private place. This practically implies that sound should not go beyond the periphery of the public or private places.”

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Mathura, 201801.08 (VT) : Eminent saint and Bhagavata lecturer Shreeji Baba died at his ashram on Sunday night at eight o’clock. He was 82 years old. Shreeji Baba played an important role in the rescue of the ancient Kund Sarovars and temples of Braj, as well as building many educational institutions, hospitals and goshalas in the Mathura area.

With the news of his demise, mourning in the saints of Mathura-Vrindavan became widespread. Sants and Mahants, Bhagwatacharyas and academics from all over Braj felt profound sadness at hearing the news of his disappearance. He will be cremated at Mokshadham, located at Aakashwani on Monday at 12 noon, .

Shreeji Baba, who was a resident of Rawalia Gali in the Mandi Ramdas area of Mathura, established a large ashram that goes by his name in Bhuteshwar in Mathura in the 1980’s. Being devoted to social service, he started a program of regular aid to the poor and helpless. This was always a focus for him. They used to marry poor girls too.

Shreeji Ashram, Bhuteswar, Mathura

Not only that, he also established Shreeji Baba Senior Secondary School and Shreeji Baba Law College on Mathura-Govardhan Road. In addition to this, he undertook the restauration of many ancient temples, ponds and lakes, and gates within Braj 84 Kos.

He gave more than 1500 Bhagavat saptahas throughout his lifetime. Shreeji Baba, was known as the pride of the Brahmin society of Mathura to sants and social workers all over the country.

On behalf of Shreeji Baba’s Ashram, Amit Bharadwaj said that people were gathering for a last darshan of the saint there. Ramakant Goswami from the ashram said that his demise was an irreparable loss to the Sant Samaj of Braj Mandal.

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Mathura, 2018.01.08 (VT) In a move that seems counter-intuitive to most Vrindavan residents, the BJP is revamping plans to have Mathura-Vrindavan included in the Dehli NCR. Local members Hema Malini and Srikant Sharma are both pushing for the inclusion, which is being promoted as a way to ensure that the towns’ development, tourist services and cleaning services are managed in accordance with National capital standards.

In June last year, MP Hema Malini wrote a letter to CM Yogi Adityanath about the issue and December, she wrote to the NCR Board, New Delhi. The proposal to include Mathura-Vrindavan in the NCR has been under discussion for over 10 years. Bharatpur is even further from Delhi than is Mathura, and it was made a part of the NCR in 2013.

Nagendra Pratap Singh, CEO of the Braj Tirtha Vikas Parishad said, “Once part of the NCR, the district would benefit in many ways, with better and more coordinated urban development and infusion of funds.”

Another possible bonus of the inclusion is that it may speed up the connection of Mathura to Delhi’s Metro service. The Metro already reaches Faridabad and plans to extend it to Palwal are anticipated. The Delhi Metro has a total length of 231 kilometres while the distance between Mathura and Delhi is 150kms. As well as being a popular tourist destination, and an official pilgrimage site, being a half way point between Delhi and Agra, Mathura is also a strategically placed business center.

Mathura-Vrindavan is already well connected to Delhi through NH2 and the Yamuna Expressway, and plans to increase connectivity by rail are discussed from time to time.  The constant road accidents and traffic jams, as well as the carbon emissions from cars and trucks make it clear that something needs to be done to improve the public transport connectivity between Mathura-Vrindavan and Delhi.

Another plan in the pipeline is to connect Goverdhan villages with the Mathura-Vrindavan Municipal Corporation. While ease of administration and cutting down the numbers of bureaucrats is undoubtedly an advantage of the proposed mergers, local organizations such as the BVHA and many Vrindavan residents reel at any suggestion of bringing Vrindavan closer to Delhi.

The Delhi NCR presently contains the whole of the Delhi NCT as well as the following sub-regions of the surrounding States, as shown below:

P.C. ncrpb.nic.in

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Barsana, 2017.01.08 (VT) Plans to open a Cultural Center in Barsana were unveiled yesterday by Pandit Pulkit Mishra, director of the Government’s Ministry of Culture. Mishra visited several of Barsana’s temples including Radha Rani temple (Maan Mandir) and the organization’s Mataji goshala. Maan Mandir’s Ramesh Baba took advantage of the director’s visit to send a message to PM Modi that more work still needs to be done to clean Yamuna and protect Braj’s cows.

The new Cultural Center will have exhibitions depicting the pastimes of Radha-Krishna and will help to promote local artists and craftspeople. As part of its efforts to encourage pride in India’s culture and heritage, the Modi Government is encouraging exhibitions and cultural events and even has its own facebook page to promote events.

It was previously announced that CM Yogi Adityanath, along with several ministers, will visit Barsana during Lathmar Holi next month. It is expected that, during the visit, more will be revealed about the plans for Barsana’s Cultural Center and other development plans for the region.

In the lead up to Holi, Mathura Museum is holding a ‘colours’ exhibition showcasing the work of 40 contemporary Indian artists. The exhibition will run between 21^st-25^th January and will include works by Vimal Kumar, Naval Kishore and Ramesh Yadav.

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P.C. Pundrik Goswami (see more photos)

Vrindavan, 2018.01.09 (VT) Artists from Vrindavan, India and around the world got the chance to perform for Sri Radha Ramanji, thanks to a maha Seva Mahotsav organized by the temple’s sevait, Pundrik Goswami.

During the Seva Mahotsav  (3rd-9th January)  several local artists have presented dances, vocals and instrumentals before the Lord. On Monday night, MP Hema Malini danced to Meera Bai’s bhajans, which were sung by JSR Madhukar and Tejaswani Didi. Malini expressed her gratefulness at being able to perform as Meera Bai in front of Radha Ramanji.

Hema Malini’s Bollywood appearance as Meera Bai gave fuel to the devotional imagination of hundreds of devotees, whose mental image of Meera Bai is Hema Malini as she was 40 years ago. The actress turned politician now promotes Braj’s folk art, music and local festivals and does what she can as Mathura’s local member to help protect Braj’s natural environment and culture.

Malini said that it was a dream come true for her to be able to take on the role of Meera Bai in the presence of Brijwasis. Malini has previously performed as Radha Rani in Braj. She said that art helps to increase bhakti and Brijwasis use art to connect with Sri Krishna.

ISKCON’s Indradyumana Swami described the shobhyatra at the beginning of the festival as “the parade of the year”. The shobyatra was held on the occasion of Gopal Bhatta’s appearance day and, according to Indradyumana Swami’s account, it was, “one of the biggest parades Vrindavan has ever seen. Over 2,000 performers, devotees and local spiritual leaders wound their way through Vrindavan’s narrow lanes and streets with kirtan parties from Bengal, shehnai bands from South India, Punjabi bagpiper groups, local dance troupes … and our kirtan party representing ISKCON. It was all arranged by Pundrik Goswami in glorification of Radha Raman…People lined the streets to watch the 6-hour parade and greeted the participants with flowers, garlands and prasadam. It was simply amazing.”

Govinda Swami said, “By Sri Radha Raman‘s mercy we served by singing from 19:30 till 22:30. Great Radha Raman kirtaneers came and observed the scene. When I saw them I was really embarrassed to be there, yet they gave an approving smile and we carried on with the chanting. I am thankful that HH Indradyumna Swami shared this great mercy with me, and I am eternal thankful to Sri Sri Radha Ramanji for allowing this very low person to sing kirtan in His presence.”

P.C. Ananta Vrindavan (see more photos)

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Goverdhan, 2018.01.08 (VT) Sant Banwari Das has been making rotis for the Sadhus and the poor for 17 years, but now his kitchen, which is under a neem tree on Goverdhan’s Parikrama Marg, is being threatened by the anti-encroachment drive.

Sant Banwari Das does not look at the people who come to him and wonder if they could have afforded to buy their own dinner. He just wants to make sure that everyone in Goverdhan is well fed, so he feeds all who come to him with love.

Affectionately known as ‘Roti Vale Baba’, Sant Banwari Das, understands that the anti-encroachment drive is being carried out under the orders of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to enhance and protect the beauty of Goverdhan hill. Sant Banwari Das knows about enforcing orders; he is retired from the army. He does not want to cause trouble, he just wants to be able to keep feeding the hundreds of people who come to him every evening asking for dinner.

Many locals are inspired by Sant Banwari Das’ work and come to help out in the kitchen.  Sant Banwari Das said that he and his helpers make 50-60 kg of flour into rotis and also serve 20-25 kg of rice every day. The kitchen daily feeds around 500 people, not only roti-sabji but also a variety of sweet dishes.

Sant Banwari Das had no plans about what he would do after retirement. Once, when visiting Vrindavan’s Gore Daoji temple, his guru gave him the inspiration to become engaged in this wonderful service. Since then, he has never looked back. Even now, he has no regrets, he just looks wistfully at the neem tree that has shaded his kitchen for so many years.

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New Delhi, 2018.01.10 (MP) The Delhi Government has decided to offer free pilgrimage trips to city residents above the age of 60 years, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Tuesday.

The decision was taken in a cabinet meeting here. The five destinations from which citizens can choose include Mathura-Vrindavan, Haridwar-Rishikesh, Pushkar-Ajmer, Amritsar-Anandpur Sahib, and the Vaishno Devi Temple. The State Goverment will fund the travel, stay, and food expenses of eligible citizens.

Each trip will be of three days and two nights and 1,100 people will be selected from each Assembly constituency for the trips in a year. Sisodia didn’t give a date from which the trips will begin, but said that they will be started soon.

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Vrindavan, 2018.01.10 (VT) From the 16^th to 23^rd January, Radha Shyamsundar temple in Sevakunj will celebrate several festivals including Vasant Panchmi, as well as Shyamsundar’s 441th appearance day festival, 439^th marriage anniversary and 300th enthronement festival.

This year, the festivities are set to be bigger than ever and will include a Raas Lila in the temple grounds from 17^th to 21^st January from 4-7pm.

According to the temple’s tradition, Vrindavan’s Sri Shyamasundar (Shri Lala ji) was manifested from the lotus heart of Srimati Radharani, while the deity of his consort Shri Radha appeared in the royal treasury of the King of Bharatpur.. Shyamsundar’s appearance day is said to be Vasant Panchmi of 1578 A.D.

Devotees can also take the opportunity to visit the place where Shyamananda Prabhu discovered Radha Rani’s anklet (nupur). Renovation of the nupur shrine area began in 2012. Located close to Radha Shyamsundar temple, the area is also the location of Shyamananda Prabhu’s samadhi.

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2018.01.10 (VT) Sripad Rajendra Dasji Maharaj was awarded the honorary title Doctor of Literature (D.Lit) by the President of India, Sri Ramnath Kovind ji. The title was awarded at a ceremony held on 8^th January in the auditorium of Sri Ram Bhadracharya Ji Divayang University in Chitrakoot, near Maharaj’s birthplace.

The title was awarded to Maharaj in honour of his work spreading spiritual knowledge. His deep knowledge of Sanskrit texts and his enjoyable katha style has helped make the wisdom of the scriptures accessible to the masses.

Maharaj’s full title will now be Dr. Malook Peethadhishwar Swami Shri Rajendra Dasji Maharaj. Maharaj ji is presently giving his first katha after being awarded the title.

Maharaj is one of the founders of the Jadkhor Godham (goshala), which is on the Rajasthan side of the Braj Chaurasi Kos. As per local tradition, this is considered to be one of the places where Sri Krishna brought His cows for grazing.

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Vrindavan, 2018.01.11 (VT) Looking at the well fed bulls, calves and cows of Food For Life Vrindavan’s goshala, gives a feeling of contentment that the cows themselves seem to feel as they laze in the winter sun in the spacious yard of the goshala. Many of the bulls were found on the street in poor condition on the street and were nursed back to health.

The bulls at the FFLV goshala are fed three times per day, whereas in most goshalas, they only get fed twice per day. The goshala is the only yard that is dedicated only to bulls. The staff know the bulls by name and will tell you stories about their personalities and habits. Located next to the organization’s school, the goshala welcomes volunteers from all over the world who put their heart into caring for the bulls.

The problem of how to make dairy farming cruelty free while at the same time making it economically viable plagues many households and farmers in the Braj region. The reliance on tractors for farming means that people don’t want to keep bulls and are faced with a dilemma when a male calf is born.

P.C. Patrika

Food for Life Vrindavan’s Sandipani Muni Schools make an effort to utilize the labour of bulls by using bullock carts to transport children to and from school in bullock carts. There are around 50 bulls who are involved in pulling the bullock carts, each of which can carry up to 40 children.

FFLV has more than 1400 girls studying and developing in its three schools. There are other initiatives that FFLV has taken like cleaning drives, plantation drives, and a recycling plant where waste paper is turned into artistic products which are displayed at shop in the school.

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Vrindavan, 2018.01.11 (VT) Shanti Seva Dham is celebrating Priyakant ju’s second patotsav festival. The patotsav festival will be celebrated on 12^th January at Shanti Seva Dham, on Chatikara road, Vrindavan.

Patotosav festivals are designed to cleanse any material contamination or laxity in Thakurji’s seva and reignite the connection between devotees and Thakurji

2017 Patotsav festival at Shanti Seva Dham

The temple’s founder, Devkinanadan Thakur Maharaj, spends much of his time touring India giving Bhagavatam katha, and his TV appearances have inspired thousands of people to visit Vrindavan. Recently, Devkinandan Maharaj was awarded the title Dharma-Ratna by the presiding Shankaracharya.

During the first Patotsav festival in 2017, Sants and Sadhus from all over India gathered to be part of the ceremony and share their wisdom with those who attended the five hour program.

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2018.01.12 (VT) There is nothing like devotion to keep people going. 75 year old kathak dancer, Uma Sharma recently said, “I still dance because I’m passionate about it. I don’t feel tired ever.”

Uma received a lot of attention for her adaptation of Vrindavan’s Rasa Lila, Natwari Nritya performances. Her adaptions were popular and helped her gain recognition an artist carrying on a divine tradition in superb style. She awarded the Padma Shri title in 1974, when she was only 32.

Fame however, was not smooth sailing for Uma, as her popularity led to the criticism that she was populist and Bollywood-oriented. Uma kept dancing through the ups and the downs, Her perseverance and dedication to her art led her to become a Padma Bhushan awardee in 2001.

Uma has her own dance school in Delhi and still performs on stage. She is performing today at Shankar Lal Hall, Modern School, Barakhamba. Uma will take the stage to open the 18th edition of the Swami Haridas Tansen Sangeet Nritya Mahotsav. Entry is free. The aim of the program is not to make money but to promote classical music and dance.

Performing with her are artists like sarod player Ut Ashish Khan (Ut Ali Akbar Khan’s son), Ut Amjad Ali Khan, Patiala gharana’s torchbearer Kaushiki Chakraborty, Grammy-winning Pt Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, vocalist Shubha Mudgal and sitar player Ut Shujaat Khan, who, she says, know some of the finest older pieces. Uma wants audiences to become familiar with traditional compositions that draw the mind away from the material world into the mystical world of devotional art.

Uma Sharma’s webpage.

hhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIMPkqwSzwI

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2018.01.18 (IE) Union Railways Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday exhorted people to avail Astha Circuit Special Train service. He shared a video on Twitter that gives complete information about the pilgrimage special trains.

“Railways’ special train arrangement for pilgrims: The Astha Circuit Train is providing cheap and accessible tour packages for the tour of the country’s major pilgrimages, the package includes food and lodging,” Goyal tweeted.

While one Northern India Astha Circuit Special Train will start from Guwahati in Assam and would cover pilgrimages in Varanasi, Agra, Vrindavan, Mathura, Haridwar, Rishikesh, and Amritsar; the other will originate from Puri in Odisha and would cover Gaya, Agra, Vrindavan, Mathura, Haridwar, Amritsar and Mata Vaishno Devi.

One Southern India Astha Circuit Special Train will start from Raxaul in Bihar and would cover Puri, Tirupati, Madurai, Rameshwaram, Kanyakumari, Trivandrum; the other would originate from Darbhanga in Bihar and would cover Tirupati, Madurai, Rameshwaram, Kanyakumari, and Trivandrum.

Western India Jyotirlinga special tour train will start from Puri in Odisha and would cover Omkareshwar, Mahakaleshwar, Somnath, Dwarka, and Nageshvara.

Kolkata Astha Special Circuit Train will start from Howrah and would cover Tirupati, Chennai, Puducherry, Madurai, Rameshwaram, and Kanyakumari.

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Vrindavan, 2018. 01.12 (VT) On Thursday, Sadhus accompanied officials to mark out an area for a sadhu burial ground. Ten acres are being set aside for the burial ground, and another ten acres will be designated as cow-grazing land.

The burial ground and goshala will most likely be in the vicinity of Sunrakh village, however the exact locations have not been announced.

Vrindavan’s community of Sadhus are pleased that their longstanding demand for a burial ground has finally been granted. Recently, sadhus sent a petition to CM Yogi Adityanath. The CM acted on the request and gave the order the District Magistrate and Shrine board (Braj Tirtha Vikas Parishad) to grant 10 acres of land for the burial ground and another 10 acres for a goshala.

The vice president of the Braj Tirtha Vikas Parishad, Shailjakant Misra, along with Deputy Sarvagram Mishra, SDM Kranti Shekhar Singh and the Regional Administrative Officer carried out the inspection of suitable sites .

The sadhus and sants who accompanied the officials included Mahamandaleshwar Swami Chittaprakashananda, Mahant Fuldol Bihariadas, Swami Ramdevand Saraswati, Mahamandaleshwar Nawalgiri, Swami Sureshanand Paramahansa, Mahant Ram Swaroopadas Brahmachari and Rajnarayan Dwivedi.

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Goverdhan, 2018.01.12 (VT) The Yogi Government plans to acquire some of Goverdhan’s busiest temples and use the funds to provide services to pilgrims. The Braj Tirtha Vikas Parishad (BTVP) plans to take over the management of Danaghati Temple, Mansi Ganga and Mukharbind Temple.

The BTVP expects to earn up to 24 crore (around US$4 million) annually, which will be used for the improved visitor services and the creation and maintenance of the green zone at the base of Goverdhan hill.

The CEO of BVTP, Nagendra Pratap, said that the purpose of the BTVP is to preserve the mythology and ancient beauty of Braj. The area around Goverdhan was previously declared to be a no-construction zone and a green zone, but the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has been consistently dissatisfied with the ability of government bodies to enforce the regulations.

It is hoped that, the BTVP will use the increased funding to provide much needed facilities for pilgrims such as, drinking water facilities, CCTVs, designated areas for feeding cows and monkeys, cleaning and public toilets.

At a BTVP meeting on Thursday, it was decided that 1000 trees will be planted in Goverdhan’s inner Parikrama Marg and water from canals in the area will be used to water the new trees and fill Goverdhan’s kunds.

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Vrindavan, 2018.01.13 (VT) The Braj Tirtha Vikas Parishad (BTVP) is about to embark on a project to beautify, restore and maintain the  7 ancient (Sapta Devalaya) temples of Vrindavan. Know the glories of these ancient and mysterious temples that have attracted people to Vrindavan for hundreds of years:

1. Sri Sri Radha Madana Mohana Temple

This 60 foot high temple was opened in 1580 on a 50-foot hill called Dvadasaditya Tila, next to the Yamuna. Built by Ram Das Kapur at the request of Sanatana Goswami this was the first temple to be built in Vrindavan, which at that time was just a forest. The deity of Krishna (Madana Mohana) was discovered by Sanatana Goswami. Worshiped along with Madana Mohana are Radharani and Lalita Sakhi. During the attack by Aurangzeb, the two images were taken from Vrindavan, one placed at Karauli and the other at Jaipur. Locals say that in order to complete Govardhan Yatra, it is mandatory to visit Madan Mohan Ji and the Govind Dev Ji temples.

2. Sri Sri Radha Damodar Temple

Established in 1542 by Jiva Goswami, this temple is located at Seva Kunj. The temple is said to be located in the central of the spiritual world. The Deities of Sri Sri Radha Damodar were given to Srila Jiva Goswami by his guru, Srila Rupa Goswami Prabhupada, and have been worshiped here since then.

The founder acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Srila Prabhupada, spent his time here meditating on his mission and doing bhajans before establishing the society.

This temple also has a small shila depicting Giriraj (Govardhan hill). Sripad Sanatan Goswami used to live in Vrindavan near Sri Radha Madanmohan temple. Everyday he would go to Goverdhan hill from Vrindavan for parikrama. When he got old, even then he carried on with this routine and continued with his parikrama. Seeing this, the Lord himself appeared before him and told him that he was happy with his devotion but that he did not need to do so any longer, and should stay at Vrindavan and serve Radha Krishna. Srila Sanatan Goswami said that if he did not go to Govardhan Hill, he felt pain and grief. So Krishna gave him a Govardhan Sila with His foot print, flute, stick and cows foot print on it and told Goswamipad that by doing four Parikramas of this Govardhan Sila with the four signs you will get the complete benefit of Govardhan Parikrama.

3. Sri Sri Radha Syamasundara Temple

This is one of the most important temples for Gaudiya Vaishnavas. Established by Sri Syamananda Pandit the deity itself was gifted to him by Srimati Radharani, the consort of Lord Krishna, who had manifested it from her heart.

4. Sri Sri Radha Ramana Temple

Constructed at the request of Gopala Bhatta Goswami in the sixteenth century, Radha Raman temple is one of the most exquisitely crafted and revered temples of Vrindavan “Radha Ramana” means “one who gives pleasure to Radha”, and Radha Raman is one of the few original deities still left in Vrindavan. In Nepal, Gopala Bhatta bathed in the famous Kali-Gandaki River. Upon dipping his waterpot in the river, he was surprised to see several Shaligrama shilas enter his pot. He dropped the shilas back into the river, but the shilas re-entered his pot when he refilled it.

Gopala Bhatta Gosvami found twelve Shaligrama shilas. It is believed that once a wealthy man came to Vrindavana and offered Gopala Bhatta a variety of clothes and ornaments for his Shaligramas in charity. However, Gopala Bhatta couldn’t use these for his round-shaped Shaligramas. He advised the donor to give the deity decorations to someone else. It is believed that the donor refused to take them back and Gopala Bhatta kept the clothes and ornaments with his shilas.

On the Purnima (full moon) day, in the evening after offering naivedhya to his Shaligrama shilas, Gopala Bhatta put them to rest covering them with a wicker basket. Late in the night, Gopala Bhatta took a little rest. In the early morning he went to take bath in the Yamuna River. Returning from his bath, he uncovered the Shaligramas in order to render puja, and saw amongst them a Deity of Krishna playing the flute. There were now only eleven shilas and a Deity. The “Damodara shila” had manifested as the beautiful three-fold bending form of tri-bhangananda-krishna. In this way Radha Raman emerged in a perfectly shaped deity form from a sacred shaligrama shila. Devotees consider this image to be alive and that he grants a chosen family the privilege of assisting him in his daily schedule. The fires for cooking in the temple kitchen have been burning continuously since the Deity was installed over 460 years ago and the cooking still follows cookbooks from that time.

5. Sri Sri Radha Govinda Temple

A few minutes’ walk from Vrinda Kund is Sri Radha Govindaji temple, built by Maharaja Man Singh and a general from the army of King Akbar. Maharaja Man Singh was a disciple of Raghunath Bhatta Goswami. The temple was a grand seven-story structure, with an altar of marble, silver and gold. Architecturally this temple is one of the finest in North India. A sculptured lotus flower weighing several tons decorates the main hall ceiling. It was said to have cost ten million rupees, and several thousand men were working for five full years to complete it. Akbar himself had donated the red sandstone for its construction.

In 1670, during the rule of a later Mughal king, Aurangzeb, it was plundered and destroyed leaving only three stories of the original temple. During this attack, when few stories remained, all of a sudden the ground began to shake violently and Aurangzeb’s men were terrified and ran for their lives, never to return. A replica of Govindaji is worshiped in the new Govindaji Mandir (located behind the original temple). The original Govindaji is worshiped in Jaipur.

6. Sri Sri Radha Gokulananda Temple

Built by Visvanath Cakravarti, a vaisnava scholar and poet, the temple houses the deity of Sri Radha Vinod worshiped by  Lokanath Goswami (one of the contemporaries of the Six Goswamis), a Govardhana shila gifted by Lord Chaitanya to Raghunath Dasa Gosvami, the deity of  Sri Vijaya Govinda worshiped by Baladeva Vidyabhushan, and a stone with the thumbprint of Lord Chaitanya.

Govardhana shila in this temple

There is the small Radha-Vinoda Deities of Lokanatha Gosvami, the larger Deities of Vijaya Govinda of Baladeva Vidyabhushan, and the Radha Gokulananda Deities of Viswanath Cakravarti. The small Deity of Krishna in front of Gokulananda and the Deity of Caitanya Mahaprabhu were worshiped by Narottama Dasa Thakur. Viswanath Cakravarti arranged to have this temple built. Formerly, all the Deities in this temple were worshiped alone, in their own temples. There is a Govardhana-shila in this temple that was given by Lord Caitanya to Raghunath Das Gosvami. This shila bears the thumbprint of Lord Caitanya. He used to chant while holding the shila, pressing it to His heart or eyes. The shila was always moist with Lord Caitanya’s tears. He would place it on His head or smell it. Lord Caitanya kept this shila for three years and then gave it to Raghunatha Das.

7. Sri Sri Radha Gopinatha Temple

This temple is a few minutes’ walk from Govindaji’s temple, was founded by Madhu Pandit Goswami, and its marvelous construction reveals a glorious past. Gopinatha, the presiding deity was first installed 5,000 years ago by Vajranabha, Lord Krishna’s grandson, and rediscovered at Vamsi-vata by Paramananda Goswami.

During the oppression of Aurangzeb, the original deities of Gopinathji, Radhika and Jahnava also proceeded to Jaipur together with other deities. The Pratibhu Vigrahas now preside in the temple built by Nand Kumar Vasu. Jahnava Thakurani is seated on the left side of Gopinath, and Lalita Sakhi and a small deity of Radhika are seated on His right. The deity of Mahaprabhu Shri Gaurasundara is in a separate chamber.

In 1632 AD, the original temple was built by Ray Singh, the son of the king of Bikaner, Maharaja Kalyanamala of the Rathaur dynasty. Aurangzeb destroyed this temple. The Pratibhu Vigrahas were established in 1748 AD, and the new temple was built in 1819 AD. Near the new temple to the east is the samadhi of Madhu Pandita.

Close to the famous Vanshivat, on the bank of the Yamuna, Shri Paramanand Bhattacharya and Madhu Pandita used to worship Shri Radha-Krishna Yugala with extreme renunciation. Once, the current of the Yamuna cut into her bank and a very beautiful deity of Shri Gopinath was revealed from under the sand. In the morning, when the devotee Paramananda came to the Yamuna to bathe, he found this exceptional deity who stole his heart. He entrusted the service of Shri Gopinath to Shri Madhu Pandita. First, Shri Gopinath resided near Vanshivat, but later on a magnificent new temple was constructed elsewhere and His service and worship continued there.

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May I drown in a flood of love for Rawal, the capital of Maharaj Vrishabhanu, where many cowherdmen and women live and where the jewel-like Sri Radha appeared from the mine-like womb of her mother Kirtida, which was blissfully praised by the demigods, sages and human beings.

Stavāmṛta Kaṇā Vyākhyā: In this verse Raghunath Das Goswami praises Rawal, the capital of Maharaj Vrishabhanu. Just as Mahāvana or Bṛhad-vana is the birthplace of Sri Krishna, so is Rawal the birthplace of Sri Radharani. After seeing the havoc caused by different demons Sri Nanda Maharaj and his associates shifted their capital to Nandishwar and Sri Vrishabhanu Maharaj shifted his capital to Barsana. In the village of Rawal the great jewel Sri Radharani appeared from the mine-like womb of Mother Kirtida. Mother Kirtida is truly the giver of fame to the world.

Sriman Mahaprabhu asked Srila Ramananda Raya: kīrti-gaṇa madhye jīvera kon boḍo kīrti? “Of all kinds of fame, which fame is the greatest?”

Sri Rama Raya replied: kṛṣṇa prema bhakti boli yāra hoy khyāti (Caitanya-caritāmṛta 2.8.244) “The fame of he who is known to have loving devotion for Krishna.”

Because she made the presiding goddess of love for Krishna personally descend and blessed the people of the world by giving them great fame as devotees of Krishna, she is justly named Kirtida. Can there be any doubt that the womb from which the great jewel Sri Radharani, who is directly the embodiment of mahā-bhāva and who is Krishna’s most dearly beloved, has appeared, is a mine of jewels?

In Rupa Goswamipada’s Lalita Mādhava Nāṭaka it is described how Māyā attracted Sri Radha from Kirtida’s womb and placed her in the womb of the wife of the Vindhya mountains, how Putana kidnapped her and how she eventually returned into the hands of Vrishabhanu and Kirtida after Vindhya’s priest launched a witch-killing mantra against Putana and thus made her drop the baby before she could deliver it to Kamsa. This is an occasional pastime, though, which occurs in some form in some kalpa (era).

No one is able to understand the Playful Lord and the wonderfully playful manifestations of his svarūpa śakti (innate energy). No one can understand in which age the Playful Lord performs what pastime and in which saint’s heart this will be revealed. Actually Sri Radharani appears from the mine-like womb of Kirtida in every kalpa, but in some kalpas is she first drawn out of Kirtida’s womb and placed in the womb of Vindhyā’s queen to appear from there. This is how we should understand it.

In this verse Raghunath Das Goswami clearly describes how the great Radha jewel emerged from the mine like womb of Sri Kirtida and how the demigods, sages and human beings were immersed in the pinnacle of bliss when they beheld this pastime of advent. Bhakti-ratnākara describes it thus:

Behold, O Shrinivas, the village named Rawal! This is the matchless abode of Maharaj Vrishabhanu. It is here that Sri Radhika appeared and thus filled the whole world with bliss. What bliss there is today in Vrishabhanu’s abode, for today Radhika devī appeared from Kirtida’s womb! Her bodily lustre, which illuminates all ten directions, removes the affliction of anyone who sees it even once. Her tender body shines brighter than gold. O goodness! Just see the elegance of each of her limbs! Her mother and father could not remain calm and eagerly stared at her moonlike face again and again. Shouts of ‘jaya! jaya!’ filled the world and all the cowherdwomen sang auspicious songs. Various musical instruments were tastefully played and all the people danced saying: “Very well! Bravo!” Throwing yoghurt, milk and haldi around on the courtyard they laughed and joked, making many gestures. Great Charity was given to the brahmins and the bards and Ghanaśyāma was maddened with bliss when he saw this.

Raghunath Das Goswami says: “May I drown in a flood of love for Rawal, the capital of Maharaj Vrishabhanu, which is filled with cowherdmen and women.” In his svarūpa, Das Goswami is the maidservant of Sri Radha, therefore she covets greatly passionate love for the birthplace of her supreme goddess, who is dearer to him than millions of her life-airs.

May a stream of sweet love for Rawal, which is beautifully filled with cows, cowherdmen and cowherdwomen, and where demigods, sages and men were blissfully praising Kirtida, in whose mine-like womb the astonishing jewel named Radha appeared, causing all moving and nonmoving beings to be immersed in transcendental bliss, always flow through my heart, so that I can remain floating on it.

Commentary of Sri Radha Kund Mahant, Pandit Sri Ananta Das Babaji Maharaj is named Stavāmṛta Kaṇā Vyākhyā (a drop of the nectar of Stavāvalī), and was published in Gaurābda 503 (1989 A.D.) from Sri Krishna Chaitanya Shastra Mandir, Vrajananda Ghera, PO Radhakunda (district Mathura), U.P., India.

Devotional songs in Bengali that follow each commentary were composed by Dr. Haripada Sheel.

© Translated by Advaita dāsa in 1994

More of Ananta Das Pandit’s writings in English translation can be found at Tarun Govinda’s blog, Amrita Tarangini.

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